Public outrage, low teacher morale, school board infighting, and threats of physical harm. No wonder so many superintendents this spring are thinking about quitting.
The question for many is: When is a good time to leave, anyway?
鈥淧art of this is just the viciousness of the public鈥攕uperintendents having to get protection from the police because of death threats and that kind of thing鈥攁nd that seems worse than it鈥檚 ever been before,鈥� said Joshua Starr, a former superintendent of Maryland鈥檚 Montgomery County and now the CEO of PDK International, an education nonprofit.
And while most superintendents are good at reading the tea leaves of brewing controversy and preparing to deal with it, the unprecedented and fast-evolving nature of the pandemic has pushed difficult decisions and all their related political blowback down to the nation鈥檚 13,500 districts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like it鈥檚 a policy to de-track the schools, or start school later, or close a school鈥攖he stuff you know how to prepare for and you know you鈥檙e going to get criticism for,鈥� Starr said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a rational conversation you can have with your community, to a certain extent. But reason has left us in the pandemic.鈥�
Bernadeia Johnson, a former Minneapolis superintendent, said one clear signal that it鈥檚 time to leave is when a superintendent can no longer be effective at the core of the job: improving student learning. As fallout over districts鈥� pandemic learning plans yields calls for changes to both superintendent and board composition, more could find themselves in that situation.
鈥淪uperintendents recognize when they鈥檙e not able to move the academic agenda they want to. And some of it is pushback of the community and the board,鈥� said Johnson, now an assistant professor at Minnesota State University Mankato. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also understanding that when you鈥檙e not effective moving in spite of all that, or in consideration of all that, then it is time to leave because you can鈥檛 get the work done.鈥�
Austin Beutner of Los Angeles said his recent decision was informed by the endless pressure of the job. But he also said that he鈥檚 comfortable with leaving now because the 650,000-student district has turned a corner and appears now to be on a good trajectory forward.
Over three years, the district has decentralized significantly, putting more decisionmaking in the hands of 44 smaller regions; launched a major early literacy initiative; and, during the pandemic, served more than 128 million meals and provided internet and devices to thousands of students, he said in a recent interview with Education Week. Those efforts have helped renew community trust in the sprawling school system, he said.
鈥淎s anyone in public education, and maybe superintendents in particular, would acknowledge, it鈥檚 a 15 hour a day, seven day a week job, truly,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 committed three years, I will serve three years, and ... we鈥檙e at a place where things are going in the right direction.鈥�
New opportunities for advancement, but new challenges, too
Hiring experts say that as they field a larger-than-normal number of replacements in the superintendency, they鈥檙e likely to come from new sources. They have been putting fewer standing superintendents in front of boards and more candidates drawn from top-level administrators, like chief academic officers and curriculum supervisors, who are itching for their first crack at the top job.
This year鈥檚 hiring cycle will have downstream effects in the years to come, as cabinet-level officials move to the superintendency, principals move into the central office, and so on down through the district ranks.
Superintendents who are looking for a fresh start in a different district could have some opportunities, too. 鈥淏ut they have to come with the perspective: 鈥楾his is a new opportunity and this is a great fit for me.鈥� Not, 鈥業 need to get out of Dodge here and cross state lines and all will be well there,鈥欌�� said Max McGee, the president of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, a national search firm that specializes in top district talent.
Details about the hiring process are changing, too. Interviews are now routinely conducted on Zoom. With board meetings available for live-streaming for all to see, candidates are better prepared and more knowledgeable about hiring districts鈥� dynamics鈥攁nd drama鈥攖han ever.
鈥淭hey are doing more homework and more research and calling with more in-depth questions than I鈥檝e ever seen before,鈥� said Molly Schwarzhoff, the vice president of Ray and Associates, another talent organization. 鈥淚 keep having to tell these board members: You are being interviewed right this minute.鈥�
And forget about 鈥渋nstructional leadership,鈥� the buzzword of the last few years. School boards are now looking for superintendents with excellent communication skills and a commitment to an equity agenda, said McGee.
Beutner said that, while Los Angeles鈥� school board will make the ultimate call on who leads the district going forward, the district has some strong candidates within its own ranks now.
鈥淥ne of the things I was very purposeful in doing was rebuilding the bench, making sure that succession could come from internally. I think a reflection of a well-run organization is that it has leaders from within,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o many large urban districts suffer from a lack of continuity of programming and lack of continuity of leadership.鈥�
Succession plans are important, if sometimes politically tough to execute, Starr of PDK agreed. But regardless of a hire鈥檚 prior experience, sitting in the superintendent鈥檚 chair for the first time is a different animal.
鈥淵ou need enormous support, coaching, guidance and mentoring, because it鈥檚 a completely different job. You can be the best principal supervisor or curriculum director in the world, but you鈥檙e not managing down anymore,鈥� warns Starr. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e managing up and out, to a board and to the community.鈥�
